Project
B-PEMS AugroJatra
Funder: United States Department of State
Project Timeline: October 1, 2022 - July 31, 2026
Country: Bangladesh
Program Areas: Countering Trafficking in Persons (TIP), Human Rights, Education and Empowerment , Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Agriculture, Resilience and Water and Climate Change
Contacts: Nasir Chowdhury, Nasir.Chowdhury@winrock.org and Aicha Traore, aicha.traore@winrock.org
Bangladesh’s location, low-lying topography, high population density, and weak infrastructure make it highly susceptible to climate change-driven natural disasters. Vulnerable populations who lose their property or income in these events are at risk of becoming victims of trafficking in persons (TIP), as traffickers often prey on those who are desperate and without many options for livelihood or employment. A lack of empirical data on the links between climate change and TIP impacts counter-trafficking awareness and action. To reduce TIP in Bangladesh, stakeholders must understand these linkages and address both issues holistically, prioritizing the perspectives of at-risk populations.
Program to End Modern Slavery
To address climate change and TIP in a coordinated fashion, Winrock International, together with Penn Development Research Initiative (PDRI) of the University of Pennsylvania and six local partner organizations — Agrogoti Sangstha, Association of Voluntary Actions for Society (AVAS), Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), Shariatpur Development Society (SDS), TMSS, and Welfare Association for Development Alternative (WADA) — are implementing the Bangladesh Program to End Modern Slavery (B-PEMS) AugroJatra Climate Change project, supported by the United States Department of State. The project’s goal is to reduce the prevalence of TIP in Bangladeshi farming and fishing households vulnerable to climate change through a transformational change at institutional, household, and global community of practice levels by using a survivor-informed and evidence-based approach that leverages partnerships to increase prevention and protection of potential, current, and former human trafficking victims as well as prosecution of traffickers.
B-PEMS AugroJatra will provide technical assistance to farmers, fishers, and fish farmers in specific regions to conduct climate-smart agriculture and aquaculture as well as to link them to skills training, job placement, and micro-enterprise development for alternative livelihoods, while PDRI conducts rigorous research to measure TIP prevalence and identify changes due to AugroJatra’s interventions. Working closely with the Government of Bangladesh, partner organizations, and survivors, the project will reduce the prevalence of TIP and provide a knowledge base for future work combating climate change and trafficking.
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